Nearly a year…
It's been nearly a year past the atresia repair (canal surgery) and 8mos since the second surgery on the exterior ear. We weren't sure if the second surgery was going the right direction, but I think Dr. R's work speaks for itself.
Ignore the Chocolate Around the Mouth
Need to Nair...
ear 2.5 mos after stage II
Heather via Centro
The above pic was taken at the beginning of March. The one below about a month and a half later.
Look Ma! No Kids
The grandparents mercifully took the kids to the Wild Animal Park. The Husband and I are figuring out how to speak Grown-up again...at least for an afternoon... Heaven!
Heather via Centro
ariel baloon
And the freakish thing really did look like Ariel, the Little Mermaid!
Heather via Centro
Peter Pan
In line.
For. Ever.
Thing 2 declined to be photographed.
Note the beauty of the casually draped Clapotis (see Knitty.com)
Heather via Centro
Thing 2: ‘Asleep’
Thing 1 on Tom Sawyer's Island Treehouse
Heather via Centro
And, okay, Thing 2 really WAS asleep!
SCORE!
Contemplative Boy
Who knew spinning teacups were so deep?
Heather via Centro
Contemplative Boy LOVED the Tea Cups! Geez! It took me years not to think I was gonna hurl!
fading
God bless strollers.
The boy fades in and out just like the day after the last surgery.
Heather via Centro
Thing 2 is My Co-pilot
Heather via Centro
To say the boy loved this ride is to understate beyond comprehension. I think it had something to do with him being able to drive.
Not that he has control issues...
brutally early
after a 348am wake up, a Denny's breakfast across Harbor Blvd seemed in order. Ear freshly swollen, as predicted.
Heather via
‘Christmas Story’
Yay!!! We got him to sit down for a second!!!! You would never, NEVER know this boy had surgery today if he didn't have a swollen ear! I swear to you, nothing keeps this kid from bouncing around.
Heather via
heading out
Thing 2 was given the option to ride alone in this HUGE wheelchair, or with his brother. He picked this option. Of course, he was stoned out of his gourd, but I think he still would have chosen to ride with his brother.
Thing 1, being the spectacular big bro that he is, while at the La Brea Tar Pits (a dream trip for him) chose a large woolly mammoth stuffed animal for his little bro.
Clearly, it was a hit.
Heather via Centro
He’s Done!
good to have the brother here
Heather via Centro
There are a couple of things you don't know about surgery until you're there. I'm going to list them here to make it easier to remember (for me):
- Kids (adults too) come out of anesthesia really, REALLY disoriented. In kids, that looks like pain. Crying in pain. Crying crying crying. Flipping out. Thrashing. From personal experience, I agree with the doctors—it's not pain. There are so many pain meds flushing through your system for a few hours, that really, you CAN'T feel pain. You can be uncomfortable (thus, kids tug at the IV doohikies) but the thrashing is bad for us—the viewers. The kids won't remember it at all. Take a video. They'll deny it was them.
- Coming out of the drugs takes awhile. You want to swoop in and hold your baby. You can't. Get over it. They wouldn't remember if you did.
- Having a something to snuggle isn't a bad idea. Even stoned, they know that feels nice.
- Whether the surgery is one hour or eight, the kids come out with this horrible raspy voice that just breaks your heart. Water and juice in recovery help some. Mashed potatoes and hot chocolate do too. It goes away pretty soon. It's just lousy to hear that horrible rasping bark if they cough. Awful. And again, they forget (good drugs!) you don't (sadly, no drugs).
- If your kid hasn't eaten for five hours, your surgeon hasn't eaten for six or more. Bring the poor doc a snack.
Okay, aside from the above, if you can bring a really kind older brother bearing a stuffed woolly mammoth, that's pretty good too.
The Dr Reinisch Face
this boy loves his doctors
Heather via Centro
Seriously, when was the last time you saw a kid light up like this when he saw...his surgeon? And this was about half way through the expression. He brightened up even more.
I'm telling you, Dr. Reinisch is a spectacular doc. Amazing. And, you know, a great surgeon to boot. But a really nice guy who obviously loves his kids. Just wonderful.
I'm gushing.
I'll stop.
Thing 2 In With the Good Dr
Thing 2 in. The Good Dr R is cleaning it up. Said eardrum is bouncy (good) and that he'll "fiddle" w/the ear placement & form.
Fish Pond
Pre-operation, the morning of: the waiting room has a fish pond in lieu of coffee. And a mom for Thing 2 to flirt with.
Heather via Centro
Boys on a trolley
Love the Grove
Heather via Centro
OMG part deux
The Husband witnessed the construction of this tree...more on that later
Heather via Centro
The Grove
O
Mah
Gaw
That boy...that boy is cute.Walden witch House
under construction????
Heather via Centro
location location location
the boys are much more quiet as photographs. I wish I could have kept them that way all day. As it was, though, Thing 1 went NUTS for the sculptures and at one point compared my fave to "The Gates of Hell" and Han Solo encased in Carbonite.
UCLA
a brief spot of ssunshine so a bit of a walk... The sunshine didn't last and the Tower of Masks has been removed from the Freud Playhouse courtyard, but being at UCLA for a bit of the morning did me a world of good.
Heather via Centro
arrived LA in enormous evil
arrived LA in enormous evil rainstorm. So bad there was NO WIND in Cajon Pass!! Just rain and more rain
Heather via Centro
Final Push!
So, December 15 will herald what we think will be the last stage of our Extravaganza. Thing 2 will need clean-up surgery on his ear to remove some scarring and downy hair (skin graft issues). We're thrilled to be seeing Dr. Reinisch and our LA friends again.
PHEW!
Home!
lunch break in Beaumont
sponge dark and drying...waiting for callback about that...
Sent from Heather's Centro
Made it safely past Bakersfield
Made it safely past Bakersfield to top of Grapevine. Gonna sleep in. Last leg should be around 8-1/2 hrs w/o stops. Phew!
the smile…
...says it all. Happy travelling boy. New headband to hold on My own gauze patch. Graft site rather horrid to look at. V raw. Got analgesic Neosporin. LOVE IT!!!
Sent from Heather's Centro
It’s a go! Ear in
It's a go! Ear in "great shape". He can cover his good ear and still hear me talk to him.
Car ready at 330!!!
Then we're off...
Too Good To Be True
It had to end.
O yes.
It had to end.
So today, Alicia--2nd cousin once removed's fabu wife--came over with her 4-1/2 year old son (yay!) and escorted us to the Roaring Camp trains up here.
V fun.
The boys had the most amazing time. Alicia, spectacular mom that she is, packed lunch for all of us, drove us there, drove us back, and was going to watch the kids so I could drop the car off to get an oil change when...it happened.
I went out to start the car and it wouldn't.
Start.
At all.
Tony and Peter got out jumper cables.
No luck.
Plans were rearranged and it was decided that we'd pop the clutch and if successful, drive down to Nick's car dealership in Santa Cruz where I would (a) leave our car to be fixed by his mechanic, and (b) pick up another car off the lot to drive back and take to Aiden's doctor's appointment.
Which is what we eventually did.
Yes, popping a clutch is fun.
Yes, I was thanking God every inch I rolled downhill that Georgie and Peter live on a sloped, quiet street.
And, Yes, Alicia is a saint, and watched the boys plus her (gorgeous) 10mo daughter while we did all this.
But now everything seems to be up in the air. There's a morning doc appt on Tuesday and Mom flying in at 3:40pm to Oakland Airport. Would I make it here? Would I make it there? Would I make it home in time to teach at 9:30am Thursday?
Nothing was certain but this:
- Nick handed us a key to a BMW 328i.
- So okay. It's not too bad.
- Actually that part's not bad at all.
So the plan now:
- Tomorrow Thing 2 and I leave early for his check up.
- IF he hasn't ruined everything by being a boy (e.g., being active) we'll be sprung.
- IF we're sprung, then we'll head back.
- IF the car is fixed we'll bypass Felton and get the car in Santa Cruz, returning the Beemer, coming back to Felton, getting luggage, heading to Oakland.
- IF the car isn't fixed, we'll go back to Felton. And that's when all hell breaks loose really. Because if the car isn't fixed then the question is: WHEN will it be fixed?
- Fixed Wednesday?
- Fixed too late to pick Mom up but on Tuesday?
- Fixed Thursday?
Not being a math-type person, the variables are making my head hurt.
These things are known:
- Before all else, Thing 2 must be approved for travel by the doctors.
- Thursday morning at 9:30am I teach.
- I do not currently have a car to drive.
- Regardless, Thing 2 cannot fly.
So I've now repaid all of Georgie and Peter's hospitality with mishegas. Garg!
What will happen now? ...stay tuned...
Four Days Out
ear definition returning!!! So is fuzzy picture taking!!!
Conductor and Boys
Sent from Heather's Centro
Train
Sent from Heather's Centro
San Francisco
and the threat of Alcatraz clearly weighing on Thing 2's mind...pic thx to Heidi!!!
Sent from Heather's Centro
Thing 2 and friend
Sent from Heather's Centro
Fast Friends
"I", "G", "A", and Thing 2--the extra children belong to my college roomies. I swear, I haven't seen Steph is 20 years and it could've been yesterday for all the time it felt like we'd lost (um...none). I'd seen Becky more recently and it really really felt like time hadn't passed.
